KARACHI, Feb 28: The governor, senior health officials, artists and media men at a ceremony on Monday pledged to make all efforts to see Sindh and Pakistan free of polio by the end of this year.

The ceremony was organized by the federal health ministry to mark the launch of a three-day countrywide polio eradication campaign commencing on March 1. Like other parts of the country, in Sindh too health officials, with the support of donor agencies, including WHO, Unicef, Rotary Club, have planned to administer polio doses to about seven million children through more than 13,500 vaccination teams, said a senior official associated with the extended programme of immunization in Sindh.

Sindh governor Ishratul Ibad was the chief guest at the ceremony, which attracted film and television artists and singers as well. Singer Najam Shiraz, Hadiqa Kiani and others sung their famous numbers.

Mentioning that health authorities at federal and provincial level were taking 2005 as final year for eradication of polio from the country, the governor underlined the need for greater coordinated efforts by citizens, NGOs, media and government departments concerned to get the target fulfilled. "We would have to double our ongoing struggle against the menace of polio," he added.

Ishratul Ibad said that the government was ensuring all possible measures to improve the health care facilities and would continue to address the constraints and impediments faced by the health workers in the campaign against polio.

Federal Secretary Health Anwar Mahmood said that the government had recently committed to the WHO that polio would be eradicated from Pakistan in the year 2005. "Though the number of polio cases has been shrinking with the passage of time, we must feel that those who have fallen prey to the disease during the years were not born to face disability at all," he said.

Sindh Secretary Health Naushad Shaikh said that during a recent meeting of the WHO at Geneva, Pakistani team had been told that if the country failed to achieve hundred per cent success of its campaign it would be difficult for the donors to release more fund to Pakistan for polio eradication purposes. He said that the overall rate pertaining to polio cases reported in the province was encouraging as during the last quarter only one case of polio had been reported.

He noted that frequent changes of key health officials at districts had also been contributing adversely in getting rid of the polio menace as every new comer had to start a fresh.

Dr Rehan Yousuf of EPI, Pakistan, said that Pakistan had almost come out of critical situation that it had been facing in 1990s. Now nominal number of polio cases was reported from Southern Sindh, Punjab and the NWFP, he added. He said that children were often missed during the campaign particularly in those villages where Autak did not exist.

TV personality Kanwal Naseer and Shafi Mohammad also spoke. At the end, the governor and other dignitaries signed a pledge - "We pledge to save the children of Pakistan from the shadows of polio. We resolve to work in unison to attain the goal of a polio-free Pakistan. In 2005, we pledge to make all out efforts to ensure that 2006 is free of polio."